Flood volunteer experiencing health problems after leading rebuilding effort

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Over the last eight months, you’ve heard his name and seen his face. It’s hard to separate Armon Harvey from many of the countless flood stories we’ve covered this year. Dozens of families devastated by the storms in January were left without a home or help.
That was until community members and volunteers stepped up. We were there, following through on many of their efforts while telling their stories along the way. Armon was one of them from the very beginning.
It’s been nearly 250 days now. The waters from the January floods have since been long gone, but the work of his foundation has yet to stop. But these days, Armon Harvey finds himself treading deep waters of another kind.
“What are doctors thinking at this point?” 10News anchor Wale Aliyu asked Harvey.
“Obviously, they don’t want me diving head first in no more floodwaters,” Harvey replied.
After months of helping flood victims rebuild, Armon Harvey’s immune system has taken a hit. He tells us doctors say his blood count is low enough to the point he’s now anemic.
“Because the bacteria inside festered into my hip joint, the type of bacteria then went sepsis and traveled through my bloodstream into my organs… and eventually, as it got to my organs, it started to shut my organs down,” Harvey explained. “So my body was pretty much fighting against itself.”
Due to the location of the infection, doctors had to remove a bone from Harvey’s hip. Harvey explained that once the medical team cleans the joints, they can start to put that bone back.
“Because of the severity of it, a lot of my muscles shut down, my nerves shut down… I don’t have any feeling in my thigh now, so they’re saying it’s going to take maybe a year or so to even get that type of feeling back,” Harvey said.
Aliyu had the chance to speak with Harvey this week. He clinches a cane that stood between them during the interview, one he said doctors believe he’ll likely have to use for the rest of his life.
“The doctor said I will never be able to walk regularly again or run again, but I’m not listening to that. I pray every day… That shows the real story behind it: That I’m willing to make sacrifices to my health and make sacrifices around it to make sure my community is safe.”
When asked what has been the most frustrating part about the health hurdles for him, Harvey said it’s the fact that he can’t be on the ground leading the way on rebuilds.
“I do think if we didn’t do the things we were doing, the city and county would see a lot more devastation,” he said.
Watch the video player below for an extended interview with Harvey on the challenges and frustrations he faced while helping those affected by the floods.
Harvey said he believes local volunteers had to step up and lead the rebuild early on because the city and other large organizations overlooked their neighborhoods because they’re an underserved, low-income area.
“The property value here isn’t skyrocketing in the multi-millions. This is what a lot of people see as a sore eye of San Diego,” he explained during an interview with ABC 10News in January. “The city is supposed to be a popular tourist beach town, so why do I need to care about those people?”
Harvey shares what has changed 8 months since the Jan. 22 flooding. Watch the video player below for more.
Aliyu asked Harvey why he felt the need and motivation to volunteer. He said that he was born and raised in the community, and God had put him there to take action.
“So, I’m just doing that, and I’m honestly just working through him,” he said. “I don’t know how I was able to get through it. Honestly, I’m not going to lie; I wasn’t really sleeping or eating because I was more worried about those families.”
Harvey shared his reaction with Aliyu on the community’s response towards the help they received through his foundation. Watch the extended interview below.